6 NOV 2013 ANESTHESIA
If you’re having general anesthesia, an anesthesiologist will give you medications that make you lose consciousness. After the surgery is complete, you won’t be wide awake right away.
General anesthesia brings on a sleep-like state with the use of a combination of medicines. The medicines, known as anesthetics, are given before and during surgery or other medical
procedures. General anesthesia usually uses a combination of intravenous medicines and inhaled gasses. You'll feel as though you're asleep. But general anesthesia does more than put
you to sleep. You don't feel pain when you're under general anesthesia. This is because your brain doesn't respond to pain signals or reflexes. While you're under anesthesia, the anesthesia
team monitors you, watches your body's vital functions, manages your breathing and treats pain related to the procedure.
Your surgery might not require general anesthesia, but you might need sedation to be comfortable during the procedure. The effects of sedation, also called twilight sedation and monitored
anesthesia care, can include being sleepy but awake and able to talk, or being asleep and unaware of your surroundings. The recovery from sedation is similar to that of general anesthesia
but patients usually wake up quicker and their recovery time is shorter. As with general anesthesia, you won’t be able to drive and should probably have someone stay with you for at least
the first several hours after you return home.
You'll slowly wake either in the operating room or the recovery room. You'll probably feel groggy and a little confused when you first awaken.
You may continue to be sleepy, and your judgment and reflexes may take time to return to normal.